Before he could say a word, Greg Davis Jr. was in radio.
“My father started the company a month and a day after I was born,” he says of Davis Broadcasting Inc., where he now serves in an executive role as vice president and Atlanta market manager. “I was born into radio,” he adds with a chuckle.
Davis began to learn the ins and outs of the business from a young age, but his earliest training didn’t take the form of mic tests or mixdowns.
“My dad’s a very old-school guy,” Davis says. “I’ll tell you this: I’ve learned a lot about the industry over the years, however, my first job, when I was old enough to work, was cleaning the buildings. After school, I would come to the office and vacuum, dust, as well as clean the bathrooms and studios. I began to appreciate the idea of taking care of something that was yours.”
Founded in 1986 in Columbus, Davis Broadcasting now owns and operates six radio stations in that city and another three in the Atlanta market, with formats ranging from urban contemporary and gospel to regional Mexican and smooth jazz. Notably, it is one of the longest-running African American-owned and operated broadcasting companies in the U.S.; in 2021, the company celebrates its 35th anniversary.
A family business since day one, Davis’s parents, Greg Davis Sr. and Cheryl Davis, remain involved in the business as president/CEO and operations manager, respectively. Greg Jr. and his sister, UGA law grad Geniece Granville, oversee daily operations as the company’s VPs.
Despite growing up immersed in the world of radio, it wasn’t always a given that Davis would eventually enter the family business.
“I was a tad stubborn growing up,” Davis says. “My dad never pressured us. He was very intentional about that. I believe he’s witnessed other family-owned businesses where children were pressured into a career that essentially made them unhappy and unfulfilled. His words were, and I quote, ‘If this is a profession you decide to pursue, I would love nothing more than for you to work with the company.’ ”
After graduating from Morehouse College in 2008 with a degree in business marketing, Davis decided to explore his career options.
Following internships with CNN and American Express, Davis landed a job with Sony Electronics as part of their inaugural sales management rotational program. That role allowed him to secure a position as regional account manager for the West Coast/Southwest Region for the home audio/video specialty division overseeing an annual sales budget of over $20 million in revenue.
However, radio — and family — beckoned, and in 2011, Davis followed his heart back home. While his Fortune 500 experience gave him valuable exposure to “how larger companies operate and strategize,” he says, Davis Broadcasting’s community-centered mission proved the more powerful draw.
Indeed, as he began working for the company his father built, Davis frequently recalled lessons his parents taught him and his siblings when they were young.
“Operating a radio station comes with great obligation and responsibility because you have a platform to make a difference,” he says. “Prior to social media and podcasts, owning a platform to reach the masses was rare. We know how historically both individuals and companies have abused this power, therefore broadcasting with integrity is a priority of ours.”
As Davis explains, owning and operating an African American broadcasting company in a field where minority ownership remains rare adds a complex dimension to that basic responsibility.
“Our advantage as independent and minority-owned broadcasters is rooted in our relationships and our commitment to the communities that we serve,” Davis says. “Davis Broadcasting is excited to celebrate 35 years in business this year, and our success can partially be attributed to our staff and management team being active members of each market in which we operate. We have an innate and sincere desire to see our neighbors, friends and local citizens thrive. Therefore we invest in programs focused around education, food insecurities, economic disparities and the overall improvement of quality of life.”
In order to become even more valuable to his family’s business, Davis recognized the need to further his education.
“I knew that soon, I would be required to take on additional leadership responsibilities, and it would be beneficial to hone in on my business skills,” Davis says.
A former Davis Broadcasting employee had recently completed the Georgia Executive MBA program at Terry’s Atlanta campus, and it came highly recommended.
“While living in Atlanta, I was commuting daily to the Columbus office,” Davis says. “A full-time master’s program was, unfortunately, not an option as I had commitments to the everyday operations of the company.”
Upon enrolling in the Georgia EMBA, Davis felt an instant connection.
“I was one of the youngest in the program,” he says. “It was great because I had the opportunity to learn from my more experienced classmates while also sharing a fresh perspective from both my tenure at Sony Electronics and my current role in a family-owned business.”
Davis says his Terry EMBA degree prepared him to face a wide range of challenges, including the critical issue of radio’s uncertain future in the age of widespread digital streaming.
Citing four key advantages of terrestrial radio — “Radio is local, radio is relevant, radio is reliable, and radio is free” — Davis says he’s never been more confident about his company’s outlook, largely due to the impact it continues to make on its diverse, otherwise underserved audiences.
“We have unique opportunities to help create voter registration drives and to share reliable information about the distribution of [COVID-19] vaccinations to our communities.”
This sort of visceral, meaningful connection is unique to local media, says Davis.
“When there are issues or concerns in our communities, people turn to local media — they won’t be looking to the streaming platforms for resolutions,” he says. “They’ll be looking to us … live and local radio.”
Ultimately, Davis says, what it’s always been about — what will continue to fuel his company’s hard-earned success — is family. Not just the core Davis crew, but also the extended Davis Broadcasting family: its loyal listeners, local advertising partners and dedicated employees.
“We have an amazing staff, but we all live, work and play in the communities where we own and operate radio stations,” he says. “So, we have to be able to walk out the door, hold our head high and know that what we’re doing has a greater impact on the community.”